Battle of Herr's Ridge

The Battle of Herr's Ridge was one of the first actions of the Battle of Gettysburg, in which Confederate generals James Archer and Joseph Davis captured Herr's Ridge from the Union army and defeated John Buford's cavalry.

Background
John Buford chose McPherson's Ridge as his main line of defense and set out with 2,400 militiamen to take control over the hilltop. However, he clashed with Confederate pickets from James Archer and Joseph Davis' force of 1,200 troops and 10 artillery en route, leading to an engagement at Herr's Ridge. In order to win the battle, the Confederates would have to take control of key points on the ridge to gain the advantage of height before the Union could occupy the hill.

Battle
The Confederate artillery was imperative to the battle, so the two generals dispatched their artillery to the points while keeping infantry behind to defend them as they were moved. A regiment of Buford's cavalry occupied the hilltop but two regiments of the Confederate militiamen routed the cavalrymen and took the points on the hill, and the other CSA units grouped up with them. When Buford's main force moved out, they faced a united Confederate army and were routed.